A Model for Evaluating the Effectiveness of Economic Education in Primary Grades

Understandably, many economists have grave doubts about the possibility of teaching basic economic concepts to primary level children. Davison and Kilgore report on the development and use of their Primary Test of Economic Understanding. Some 500 second-grade pupils and 24 teachers were involved in their experiment. A control group made up of children who received regular social studies instruction was compared with experimental groups using primary level economics materials. Differences in the pupils' general academic ability, socioeconomic environment and teacher preparation were taken into account. The authors found that children in early elementary grades can learn certain basic economic concepts.